Anxiety about AI drives Gen Z career pivot to blue-collar work, survey finds
Dive Brief:
Generation Z is reevaluating what a 'safe' career looks like amid the proliferation of artificial intelligence tools at work, according to a recent survey of 1,000 Gen Z workers by career website Zety.
Most respondents, nearly 3 in 4, said AI will reduce entry-level corporate job opportunities in the next five years. Respondents ranked skilled trades and labor, people-focused professions such as healthcare and education, creative careers and tech and AI-related jobs as among the safest career options.
While Gen Z said they were excited about certain elements of blue-collar work, such as higher pay, more job opportunities and greater flexibility, they cited physical labor demands, concerns about upward mobility and lack of awareness about trades as challenges that remain.
Dive Insight:
Zety's findings align with similar reports that have emerged recently related to Gen Z and AI.
In May, for example, Resume Builder found that 42% of Gen Z respondents to its survey were currently working in or pursuing a blue-collar or skilled trade job — and more than one-third of those workers had bachelor's degrees.
Skepticism about the value of college is a common thread running through surveys of Gen Z. In the Zety report, for example, 65% of respondents said college degrees would not protect them from AI-related job loss, and an Indeed report published in April found that about half of respondents said the technology made their college education irrelevant.
In addition to pivoting their career track, Gen Z respondents told Zety they were preparing for AI disruption by teaching themselves new skills, earning certifications and 'rage-applying' to new jobs out of frustration.
Gen Z's 'interest in trade work and hands-on careers shows a desire for purpose, security, and control in an AI-driven world,' Jasmine Escalera, career expert at Zety, said in a press release shared with HR Dive in an email. 'I call this shift the 'AIxiety Pivot' — a growing movement of professionals who are proactively changing course because of AI-related fears and instability.'
Gen Z may be leading the pack in career anxiety, but they aren't alone. Most executives told tech company Writer that AI adoption had caused conflict and friction within the organization. And 41% of millennials — along with the same percentage of Gen Z workers — admitted to 'sabotaging' their company's AI strategy.
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